The Relationship between Parenting and Personality Development of Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescence is known to be the pivotal stage of human life, when people construct identity and achieve autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Different parenting styles lead to specific developmental outcomes during adolescence. At this stage, personality development occurs and affects adolescents social behavior and perception, which often have lasting effects on individuals later in life. Despite parenting and personality developments significance in adolescence, limited existing studies have accounted for their interactions. This paper aims to demonstrate the relationship between parenting and the personality development of adolescents by reviewing and integrating existing research. The findings are divided into three main components: the reciprocal relationship between parenting and adolescent personality development, parenting and other factors associated with personality development, and cross-cultural differences in this relationship. The results suggested that parenting style not only directly leads to certain personality outcomes, but also interplays with adolescents personality and other problem behaviors. In addition, parental rejection and adolescent self-criticism both affect personality development through bidirectional relationships. Finally, there are cultural differences in the described relationship patterns. Overall, an authoritative parenting approach results in desirable personality traits and fewer behavioral problems. Permissive and authoritarian parenting strategies tend to lead to maladaptive personalities and performance, as well as externalizing and internalizing problems. This review can provide some guidance for furture research and practices regarding parenting styles and personality development during adolescence.